Typhoon swirls towards central Philippines

MANILA, June 20 (Reuters) - The Philippines warned of flashfloods and landslides on Friday as Typhoon Fengshen churned towards the centre of the archipelago with gusts of up to 140 kph (87 mph).

The centre of Fengshen, a low-level category 1 cyclone, is about 180 km (110 miles) east of the island of Samar and is expected to make landfall on Friday afternoon before sweeping back out into the Pacific Ocean on Sunday on a path that passes south of Okinawa.

Around 20 typhoons hit the Southeast Asian country every year, triggering flooding and mass evacuations.

Environmental groups blame illegal logging for making flooding worse, particularly in the central Philippines, where more than 5,000 people were killed in 1991 by floodwaters triggered by a typhoon.

In February 2006, around 1,000 people were buried alive when a mudslide from a barren mountain submerged a farming village on a central island. (Reporting by Carmel Crimmins; Editing by David Fogarty)